Robotic milking and milk quality: effects on the cheese-making properties of milk

Abstract

Robotic milking systems (RMS) modify dairy herd management and therefore some aspects of production. The main results from scientific literature on RMS and cheese-making properties have been reported. The decrease in fat content, as a consequence of the increased milking frequency, is generally confirmed. The lack of specific studies on creaming properties of milk from robotic milking experiences and with different milking frequencies has been highlighted. Indications on clotting features were obtained with a different milking frequency in a traditional milking parlour; these results showed an improvement in the casein index of milk from three daily milkings. A reduction of casein exposure to the plasminogen-plasmin complex activity in the mammary gland between two consecutive milkings seems to explain this result. The effect of RMS on milk quality for cheese-making purposes was first evaluated in a two-year monitoring study in a herd representative of Po Valley dairy farms. Preliminary results from laboratory tests on bulk milk samples indicate that milk from RMS seems suitable for cheese-making processes.